Morocco Begins Construction on Massive $138 Million Bridge in Western Sahara

This project is part of the large-scale Tiznit-Dakhla expressway project, which is part of the new development model for the southern provinces of the Kingdom. The bridge over the Oued Sakia El Hamra will be 1,648 meters long and 21.4 meters wide. Its work, costing 1.38 billion, will be carried out in compliance with environmental and safety standards, Baraka said in a statement to the press.

This bridge will be the largest bridge in Morocco, said the Minister of Equipment and Water, adding that this project will help improve road safety and the environmental aspect of the city of Laâyoune, and facilitate traffic to and from the southern provinces. Baraka also said that this bridge over the Oued Sakia El Hamra will be carried out by a Moroccan company, as is the case with the various sections of the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway.

This expressway is in its final phase. The work is progressing at a rate of more than 97%. The work on the Tiznit-Guelmim section, 114 kilometers long and estimated at 2 billion dirhams, is 87% completed. The Guelmim-Laâyoune section, 441 kilometers long and costing 6 billion dirhams, is completed and has recently been opened to the public.

As for the Laâyoune-Dakhla section, 500 kilometers long and estimated at 1 billion dirhams, it has been completed for two years. With a total length of 1,550 kilometers and a total cost of around 10 billion dirhams, the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway aims to strengthen the economic and social development of the southern provinces of the kingdom.